Bullpen Struggles in 12-5 Loss to Twins

It was not a happy 23rd birthday for Adam Morgan, who gave up four runs, albeit three unearned, to the Twins in a 12-5 loss. While much of Morgan’s demise was due to sloppy defense, the same could not be said for the performances of Justin De Fratus and B.J. Rosenberg. De Fratus and Rosenberg each gave up three earned in an inning pitched each.

The Good

In order to compete in 2013, the Phillies will need to have major contributions from first base, second base, and at least one corner outfield position. The good news: Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown have gotten off to scorching starts in Spring Training and again came up big. Howard had a hit, walk and RBI while Brown went 1-2 with two walks, three runs scored, and an RBI. Kevin Frandsen had another nice game of his own, going 2-4, and Ben Revere also had two hits, accentuated with two runs and a stolen base.

The pitching was not all bad: John Lannan struck out one, scattered four hits, and gave up one earned while Antonio Bastardo had his second straight scoreless spring appearance. Mauricio Robles pitched a scoreless eighth.

Areas ofOpportunity

In their second rough outings in a row, both De Fratus and Rosenberg struggled. Morgan’s outing was more a result of bad fielding than bad pitching.

Two early storylines are developing: which young arm will step up to the plate and take one of the final bullpen pieces and can Frandsen play his way into the third base gig? Neither De Fratus, Rosenberg, or Mike Stutes has impressed early. Phillippe Aumont has to remain the consensus favorite to snag one spot, but there could be two other spots available. And Frandsen has been raking early while Michael Young has looked lost in the field. How long of a leash will Young get at third, particularly if he cannot shake off the cobwebs quickly?